COVID-19 Cases Increase Slightly Across Pennsylvania

PENNSYLVANIA — For several months now, COVID-19 cases have been steadily falling across Pennsylvania, as the fall surge seemed to lose steam heading into the New Year. After peaking in November and December, numbers fell to early fall levels by early March.

The past week, however, the state has reported a slight increase in some key coronavirus metrics, the first increases in quite some time.

“As more and more Pennsylvanians are getting vaccinated, we must not forget to follow the mitigation measures still in place," Gov. Wolf said in a statement Monday, noting the increases. "As the weather gets warm, please remember to wear a mask, practice social distance and wash your hands frequently as the virus still has a presence in our communities.”

The percent positivity rate on COVID-19 tests across the state is now at 6.5 percent, according to the Department of Heath's Early Warning Monitoring Dashboard, whose most recent statistics cover the period from March 12 to March 18.

The positivity rate stood down at 5.7 percent statewide just a week ago. The CDC calls a rate below 5 percent "suppression" of the virus.

There was also an overall case increase over the past week: numbers rose from 12,802 new cases to 14,182 new cases. The incidence rate per 100,000 individuals rose from 100 to 110.

State officials did not speculate on the cause of the rise, but Wolf called it "concerning." With the increased vaccinations, herd immunity could be on the near horizon, and an increase in cases heading into warmer weather seemed unlikely.

The Dashboard also tracks three healthcare metrics, and the good news is that none of these indicators saw a rise over the past week.

The average daily number of hospitalizations continued to drop, falling to 1,479 from 1,514.

Meanwhile, the percentage of emergency room visits due to coronavirus symptoms stayed at 0.5 percent, and the average daily number of patients on ventilators fell from 180 to 167.

To reach herd immunity, health experts say 70 to 80 percent of the population must either be vaccinated or be protected due to previous infection with the virus. Pennsylvania is making progress to that point, but isn't there yet. Some 4.3 million individuals have been vaccinated, and nearly 1 million have been infected, out of the state's roughly 12 million residents.